Final Destination: Foresight
by Jack Rhien
Summary: This story focues on Daniel, a highschool graduate has the ability to see death. He uses this gift to save as many people as he can. However, one day when saving a girl named Diane, the rules of Death suddenly seem different.
1. Change of Rules

At what moment, do we realize, that fear is always present, no matter what we believe. We see people who are constantly saying they fear nothing, being that there's nothing left to fear. These people, they've closed themselves off to their emotions, failing to realize that there is everything to fear. When they realize this, when you break through this mental barrier in which they are in perfect solitude, this solitude is shattered, and a like a man protected his whole life, soon realizes that he has lived through nothing, that he has been pampered, sheltered, and given everything he has desired.

Any man or woman, surrounded by fear, will realize that they are in hell. To unleash this hell, you must not dive into darkness, but rather beyond it. Then, we may bask in their suffering, fear, pain, hate... and may other sins in which they would rather pretend that they do not exist. That is the beauty of finding a fear that even a person does not know he has. Upon finding it, his will is your will. You are in complete control. His mind will be so twisted after being shattered, that anything may be possible. This... is Death.

Around seven years ago, a group of students got off a plane, infamously known as Flight 180. A teenager freaked out and caused a scene, knowing the plane would explode. Other students and a teacher followed, curious as to what was going on. Minutes later... the plane exploded in the air. These seven people survived... but Death soon came after them. One by one, they were taken down in the order they would have died.

Three years later, a freeway accident occurred in which a woman had a vision, just as the survivor of 180 did. She blocked traffic, saving some people. Once again, one by one, the people who would have died had they not "cheated" death began to die in the order they would have died. They enlisted the help of the only survivor left from the Flight 180 incident to help them. She soon died, doing whatever she could. Only two truly survived: an officer and the woman who had the vision. She sacrificed herself and was later resuscitated, ruining deaths plan.

Three years after that, an incident of the same kind occurred at a carnival. A woman had a vision that a roller coaster would crash. 10 people survived. Seven soon died in following events. What happened to the other three survivors is unknown. They have not been seen in some time.

We focus on the story of another... a man named Daniel Raimi. This man isn't exactly a victim... it seems that he shall be, though. This person has a gift though, a gift that could possibly save him and others. Other saw signs, visions, clues, whatever you may call them. However, he is a step ahead, for he can see death. He can see his shadow, stalking those who will die prematurely. It is his purpose to attempt to save them. However, he will soon realize that Death does not like those who interfere, and that those who interfere who are not on his list? Well... let's just say that the rules of Death can be bent by the creator.

The street was lonely with only a few people traversing back and forth between cars, buildings, and other concrete or metal creations. Some people talked, others just passing by each other. Daniel was the only one who was still in the midst of the crowd, waiting silently in a car, a '01 Honda Accord, watching everyone who passed by. He was young, a high school graduate, and looked even younger by about four years.

He had a face that seemed innocent, but was more or less nothing more than a mask. Although he seemed normal and happy, you could see into his light eyes that he held secrets and felt pain. He was slim, but well built with his size. He was average in height, but lean in body. As such only his appearance was normal. His personality could have been seen as paranoid and uneasy. There were times he would seem perfectly happy and then at a moments notice, he would be cold and cruel.

Daniel grabbed his soda and sipped from the straw, still looking for any signs of abnormalities. The soda was cool and refreshing, but it lost its fizz, which made it less appealing than earlier. Daniel groaned groaned quietly as he set it back in the cup holder, waiting patiently for even the smallest thing unusual to happen. For an hour he had waited, and it seemed that nothing significant would happen.

"Why am I even bothering with this?" he muttered under his breath. "I should be taking a vacation."

The wind soon picked up. Daniel gasped silently to himself as he gripped the door handle, preparing for a quick exit if he had to. He looked around, but nothing was happening. He growled silently as he leaned back into his seat. He rested his head on his hand as he let out an annoyed sigh.

"Forget it. I should just leave."

With that, he leaned forward and turned the keys for the ignition. The struggled for a second and then soon let out a brief roar of life. Daniel smiled as he leaned back and adjusted the rear-view mirror. He grabbed it and ever so slightly tilted it to the side. It was no sooner that a shadowy figure quickly scurried by, Daniel's eyes widened as he spun around. The shadow was gone... but only to his eyes. Daniel quickly turned back around and shut off the car.

"Shit... and I was hoping for a break."

Daniel looked around for the curtain of darkness to show up again. So now he knew someone would die here. His intuition was correct, which gave him both comfort and dread at the same time. It was now that he asked himself the questions: who, what, where? Who: the victim. What: the object or objects that would kill the victim. Where: where exactly in the vicinity would the victim die? He knew that he wouldn't have much time. He could identify the victim easily whenever he saw the dark entity near any given person.

He looked around, hoping to find signs that would help him. Out in the open, anything could be a sign: broken glass, shorting circuits, and even signs were signs. He knew the trick: finding objects that correlate with each other. To find them, he had to find what seemed wrong and out of place. This was of course, always easier said then done. His eyes darted from sign to sign, object to object, and place to place.

There was a slight crackle and sizzle, caused by a surge of electricity. He glanced to the side and saw a body shop sign. His eyes narrowed as he stared at it. The sign, illuminated by light, began to flicker. Daniel had the hunch that it was definitely a clue... or at least a possibility. The picture depicted the car traveling at a fast speed, smoke trailing behind it. The slogan: WE DON'T STOP 'TIL WE DROP DEAD! Daniel nodded to himself.

_There's the what... not exactly original._

He looked around, hoping to find the person. it was soon that he saw the shadows moving. He stared at them. It waited above a car and a light-post. Daniel stared intensely. He knew that the who probably owned it. But was that the car that would cause the death? Would it be an accident on the road? Daniel groaned silently as he slowly got out of the car.

_Maybe it won't be as simple as it looks._

He looked around, hoping to find a being approach the car. He found the victim. A young woman, a year or two older than he was, began to walk outside and towards the car. She had short blonde hair, a lightly pale face, and was heavily dressed, wearing a winter coat, jeans, and scarf. She held a water bottle in her hand. Daniel nodded to himself. He closed the door to his car and began to approach the woman. She didn't notice him at first. Instead, she was preoccupied with her own problems apparently. She looked deep in thought. Daniel looked straight past her, more towards the shadowy figure of Death. Although he couldn't see a face, he could it staring at him. It had an odd, fearful, daunting gaze to it. He coughed quietly as he approached the woman.

"Excuse me?"

The woman turned her head towards Daniel with a somewhat surprised look. Obviously, she paid no attention to him before he called out to her. She looked younger up close then she did at a distance. He light green eyes seemed to stare at him with confusion.

"Yes?"

"Uh... listen, I wouldn't recommend driving yet."

"Oh?" she asked, half-sarcastic, half-curious. "And why would that be."

"I saw smoke rising from it earlier. I think their might be something wrong with the engine."

"Oh really? How do you know you saw smoke?"

"Well, I naturally assumed that-"

"As far as any of us can be concerned, it could have just been steam."

Daniel gave her a quizzical look. He might have been lying their, but he found that worse than his.

"Ma'am, you're wearing a scarf and coat. With that kind of clothing, you're thinking its warm enough for steam to come out?"

"Well, it's certainly cold enough for _something_ to be visible."

Daniel fell silent. She had a point there. That was a plausible way to make sure he couldn't do anything. He knew she didn't think highly of him already and that she wanted to get away from him. He rose his hands up in a pleading manner.

"Listen, just let me make a quick inspection. I know my stuff. I work over at the body shop over there."

She leaned her head to the side, peeking over his shoulder to see him pointing at the shop with the sign he noticed. She narrowed her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes... really."

She stared at him, dubious of Dan (even though he _was_ lying, although it was for the better). He shrugged his shoulders and smiled nonchalantly. Soon, the woman nodded.

"Alright. You can give it a quick check."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Just call me Diane. You are?"

"Daniel."

She smiled weakly and nodded. The two soon walked over to the car. When Daniel looked up, the shadow was gone. Daniel showed a slightly disturbed look. He groaned quietly.

_Damn it... where did he go?_

Diane placed the bottle on the roof unlocked the car door and moved inside. There was a pop as the hood opened. Daniel smiled weakly as he walked over to the hood. He opened it up and, for the sake of his lie, peered inside. As he did however, he heard a dripping sound. He grunted quietly as he peered in deeper. It didn't sound like it was inside, but... rather below him. He pulled his had back and looked at the ground. There was nothing. He peered back at the engine and the sound was gone. He grunted quietly. The engine seemed fine... based on what little mechanics he knew.

"It's looking good. Uh... hold on one second."

Daniel began to walk around, gently kicking the tires. One by one, he felt how firm they were. He groaned quietly as he scratched the back of his head. What would happened was all he could think about.

"It looks completely fine."

"Thank you. Guess I was right."

Daniel looked over at Diane and gave her an offended look. He nodded as he looked around. A car was driving by. A on the side of the road was snagged by the wheel. It whipped around, slashing at the air. He stared at it pensively. Somehow he had a bad feeling about that.

"Well... maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"I doubt it."

"You know, I think I agree with you," Daniel muttered to himself.

Daniel looked around one more time. He simply wanted to find death's hiding place. He was being sneaky and he knew that if he didn't find it soon enough, he couldn't help this... joking woman. He sighed quietly as he began to walk off. As he crossed the street, he looked up at a window. He saw car speed by, snagging someone by a jacket and pulling them down. He screamed out loud and spun around. All he saw was Diane staring at him with confusion. Daniel stared at her for several seconds and simply laughed nervously. He soon noticed the shadowy death floating around again. Soon, a breeze began to pick up. Diane stuck her head out and looked at him with disbelief.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh... yeah," Daniel said. "Just... seeing things."

She simply continued to stare at him. Soon, she opened the door and walked out.

"You don't look so well."

"I'm fine. Just... tired."

She shook his head. He began to back up as he rose a hand up and motioned for her not to follow. As she did, he noticed something seeping from under the car and spreading out towards her feet.

"Seriously... don't move."

"Why?"

"Just don't move, alright?!"

"Are you threatening me?" she asked, scoffing. "What are you gonna do?"

"It's not what I'm gonna do!"

"Wait... what you're not going to do? Who else is here?"

She suddenly began to sound panicked, sensing danger near her, although the wrong kind. Daniel rose his hands and back up.

"Not who... what."

She looked more confused then ever. She seemed hesitant to move. Daniel pointed down towards the ground. Diane looked down... and saw nothing. She rose her head and looked at him curiously.

"What? What is it?"

Daniel looked back down... and saw nothing. He grunted quietly as he shook his head. He sighed quietly. He chuckled and turned around. Diane simply stared at him as he walked off. Soon, the breeze picked up again, this time much stronger than before. Diane's scarf blew back towards the open engine. The hood began to bob because of the wind. The support holding hod up began to wiggle loose. Soon, the support collapsed and the hood feel down with it. The hood snapped shut, her scarf still in it. The water bottle has spilled as well, water dripping off and onto the ground. Diane swore under her breath as she turned around. She grunted loudly as she tried to undo her scarf. To her, it seemed to have gotten tighter.

"Damn these things, how hard can it be to undo a damn scarf?! It's one long cloth!"

She grabbed it and began to tug at it, hoping for it to tear. As she tugged the water underneath her shoes. As she tugged she leaned slightly back. Death soon came out of nowhere, rushing past Diane. The water underneath her shoe made her slip. She gasped out as she fell down. Daniel gasped out as he ran towards her. It seemed that right as he did, a car zoomed by, preventing him from moving forward. He could feel the wind fly by him. He tried to move forward and another car zoomed by.

"Damn it!"

He stared at Diane, as she seemed to be strangled by the scarf. It would normally be simple to get up, but she was panicking. He swore out loud as he just rushed forward. Another car zoomed by, narrowly missing him. He grunted out loud as he tripped forward. He quickly got to his feet as he ran over to Diane again. He grabbed the scarf tried to pull out the scarf off of her neck. The fall tightened it like a knot. Even if he helped her up, she would still be strangled. He then grabbed it and tried to pull it out from the hood. It wouldn't tear.

"Fuck! Why won't it break?!"

He dashed into the car looked around, searching for what could possibly pop the hood open. As he felt around, he felt the wind again. He turned his head to the side, to see Death dashing forward right towards him. The shadowy force slammed right into the door, closing it right on his leg. He screamed out in pain as his arm flailed to the side as bodily reflex. His hand hit the shift, switching the car from park to drive. The car began to slowly lurch forward. Daniel grunted loudly as the wheel began to turn itself. Daniel rose his head to see a skeletal hand turning the wheel. Daniel did what he could to hit the brakes. As he tried, he found it impossible to do so. Something was stuck underneath, preventing it from being pressed down. He tried to feel around and pull it out,but his efforts were futile.

_"The girl... is mine."_

You son of a bitch!" Daniel muttered to himself.

Daniel soon felt the car begin to gradually accelerate. The car slowly drifted into another lane. He tried to grab the gear and put it into park. It was jammed and he couldn't put it back into place. He growled loudly. He continued to search around for the compartment to release it. He screamed out loud as his frustration grew. He looked and saw on the lane to his left a car approaching at a rather fast speed. He failed to notice the car drifting towards him. He suddenly kneed the compartment. He heard a click. The hood soon popped open and the scarf was released. The driver rose his head and saw the car. He hit the brakes as hard as he could.

Diane may have been free, but the car still drifted. Daniel pushed the passenger door open and jumped out of the other side. He landed with a hard thud and covered her head. The two cars collided. The car was forced to the side because of it. Chunks of glass flew from the windows. Without thinking, Daniel looked to the side and grabbed a shard of glass that was nearby. He grunted as he gripped it tightly. Blood began to run down his hand he ran towards Diane and used the glass to cut at the scarf. He cut as quickly as he could. Soon, he cut through the scarf, undoing it. He placed his fingers along her neck, feeling for a pulse. He could feel one, but it was weak. He cursed under his breath and he placed his ear next to her mouth. She wasn't breathing.

"Damn it!"

He looked to the side. He could see the shadowy figure slowly approaching them. He swore loudly to himself. Instantly, he began to perform CPR. He blew into her mouth and pressed her chest. He counted as he pushed each time. He blew into her mouth again and pushed again. The shadow that only he could see loomed closer and he tried to hurry.

"Breathe, damn it!"

Suddenly, out from the shadows, the bony, translucent hand of death began to appear, stretching out to touch Diane and take her soul. Daniel shouted out in frustration as he pushed again and again. The hand was close. Daniel could feel the cold atmosphere surrounding it as it stretched out by his ear. His breathing intensified as he tried one last time. Breathe... push... push... push... push... push... push... push.

A cough escaped Diane's mouth as she twitched. The shadow next to Daniel disappeared. Diane coughed roughly as she took in deep raspy breaths. Her eyes widened in shock and confusion, trying to figure out what had just happened. Daniel laughed loudly as a crowd of people began to gather around. Some were driven see Daniel and Diane's condition. Other's went to check up on the driver. His door opened and the driver lurched out. He gasped out as he staggered a bit, holding a bloody forehead. He brought his hand out and stared at the blood, looking some confused and disoriented. It wasn't much longer that he collapsed.

Daniel looked over at the man. The shadowy figure of Death appeared once again. The transparent hand came out of the shadowy body and seemingly grabbed the body. Soon, the hand began to pull out another entity from the body. Daniel grunted quietly to himself as he stared at what was going on. Once again, although he couldn't see it, he could feel the icy gaze of death upon him. He felt cold and fearful.

_"A life for a life."_

Daniel stared at Death as he soon disappeared, the other spiritual body with it. Daniel shook his head as the crowd began to larger. He heard various people calling for help, some screaming it, some saying it into phones.

"Shit... what just happened?" Daniel asked himself.

"W-what's going on?!" Diane exclaimed weakly.

Daniel looked back at Diane. She looked disoriented and panicked. Daniel looked around, suddenly noticing the position of the cars. Diane was no more than a foot away the tire of the dead man's car. If he hadn't freed Diane, her head would have been crushed. He looked back at Diane.

"You were almost in an accident. You were being dragged by your car and... and you nearly choked and... you almost died two or three different ways."

Diane groaned silently as she soon fell unconscious. She let out a silent breath and closed her eyes. Daniel stared at her for several seconds. He rose his head and looked around. People were in bedlam over the incident. They didn't know what to think. The dead body soon caught everyones attention. He didn't know exactly what to do, but he had a thought in mind: get out of the vicinity. He quickly got to his feet and ran. He ran as quickly as he could, wanting to get away from what just happened.


	2. Hospital Hazard

The door to a rather messy apartment slowly opened as Daniel entered inside. He had a tired expression on his face. He didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything… simply rest. He was tired from that near failed attempt at rescuing Diane. He himself was nearly killed, which didn't really help his current situation. He sighed quietly as he ran a hand through his hair, sweat beginning to grow and escape from his forehead.

He peered around. It seemed dirtier than he remembered. There was trash on the ground, covering up half of the floor it seemed like. In the kitchen, the sink was filled with dishes and silverware that were no more than rinsed off. Dust coated the furniture, and the slightest change in a breeze would have blown it off. Even the windows were covered with various smudges of hand prints and some water stains. The only thing that looked clean was the couch. The vinyl looked like it was wiped down every now and then. Given that seemed to be the only place he ever slept, he figured he might as well kept something that he used clean.

As he approached his couch, he tried to clear something up in his mind. The man who died on the road… that was something that shouldn't have happened. Death's words trouble Daniel… more than he wanted. He could feel his hand beginning to shake as it drifted back to his side. His eyes, although dull, portrayed a deep level of fear that was rather evident if one took a brief look at them. A lump in his throat refused to go away, despite him trying to constantly swallow. Even if he didn't admit it, fear was growing inside of him.

Everything that happened was too different from what should have happened. He had never heard of a case in which one died after someone else was saved unless that person was next on Death's list. However, the words "a life for a life," made Daniel doubt that was the case. He saved Diane, and therefore killed that man. He shook his head, trying to get the notion out of his mind. He didn't kill him. It was an accident that he didn't foresee. It just happened. He let out a silent sigh.

_I wish that was the case. It's more than just an accident._

He lurched over to the couch and let himself fall on his stomach. He grunted out loud as he could feel his body go numb, wanting to relax. He groaned as he closed his eyes as his arm slowly stretched out towards a coffee table, littered with newspapers and empty soda cans, searching for the remote. He soon felt it, gripped it, and pressed the power button. He promptly released it and let his arm drop to the ground. It seemed to be a waste though, for within a minute, he was in a state of slumber.

Hours later, the silent hum of the television gradually grew louder, soon being replaced by the words of female reporter. The words seemed unintelligible at first, but they soon became clearer. As Daniel began to understand what was being said, he suddenly didn't feel so tired. His eyes slowly opened as he looked at the TV screen.

_"… __still trying to be understood how the accident came to be. 19 year old Dianne Craven was reportedly at her car with what was reported to be with an 'unstable looking student' when she slipped."_

"Hey!" he exclaimed groggily. "Unstable?! I saved her!"

_"Apparently, it looked as though that he tried to drive the car, dragging her along with her. When the car crashed, it was reported he was seen 'trying to resuscitate her.' With these various accounts, it's unknown whether or not this was a hero, an insane attacker, or even… well, something in between. All that is known is that despite all this, Dianne turned out alright. __She is currently in Queen's Hospital in stable condition. __However, another wasn't so lucky. Local doctor Ed Hersch__, age 54__ was a victim of the accident. After his car collided with Dianne's, he was reported to walk out, seemingly fine, and then collapsed, dying shortly after."_

Daniel's eyes widened as he heard the word doctor. A new fear grew inside of him as he slowly sat up, staring at the screen. The dread was quick to spread inside of him.

"Oh shit."

_"Dr. Hersch had been known to accomplish of rather successful surgeries, despite odds in death's favor. It is very apparent that he will be missed."_

Daniel turned off the TV as he stared at it in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was to his dismay that it was a surgeon of all people that was killed in the accident. He leaned forward as he rested his head on his hands. He had indeed saved an innocent, but he killed someone who saved lives as a job. He groaned quietly as he closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew right away what kind of damage he had done. He swore underneath his breath as he slowly got to his feet.

"Damn… I can't believe it. This was what he wanted."

He swore again as he ran a hand through his hair. In exchange for one life, Death got a whole number of new ones. The numbers could have been endless. How many people could this man have saved? The question was beginning to echo in Daniel's mind. He grunted quietly underneath his breath. There wasn't much he could do now. Unless he could get a list of these patients, there was no way he could save them. Even then, the time in which they would have died would all vary. He shook his head.

"No… no… no… you're being too analytical. Maybe… maybe… he isn't important. Come on… objects... not people. Besides, Death doesn't break his own rules. There's no way he'd change his own list. Besides, maybe his death was planned. But still… a life for a life. No… no… no. It's nothing. I-it's nothing."

Daniel sighed silently as his head sank. He didn't know what to think. He was too tired to think clearly. He chuckled quietly to himself. He didn't know what to think. He didn't even know what to do. He scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of what he could even do now. Something clicked in his head.

_Queens…_

An odd grin grew on his face. He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled the keys out of his pocket. He headed towards the door, quickly opened it, and shut it behind him.

Daniel walked in through the hospital doors with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. His eyes looked around uneasily as he made his way to the front desk. He never liked walking in a hospital. He always felt death around, hovering amidst the people. He could see him making his way to a room every time he went in. As he looked around however, he couldn't him. Daniel's eyes narrowed as suspicion grew inside.

_You'd think he'd have popped up once while getting in._

"Can I help you?"

Daniel grunted quietly as he looked down at the clerk at the desk. He stared at him with a curious expression. He looked rather young. Daniel's eyes widened a bit.

_He must be an intern or something._

"Uh, yes. I'm looking for… for Diane Schumacher."

"Schumacher, Schumacher…"

He began to type furiously on a keyboard, looking up her name. Daniel looked around the room some more, trying to see the shadowy figure that haunted him so. However, he was nowhere to be found. A sense of discomfort grew inside of him.

_Either he already found someone or something's up._

"Here we are!" the clerk said.

Daniel turned his head towards the clerk. He was clicking on something on the screen. Daniel figured it was Diane's information.

"She's in room 180, just down the hall."

Daniel flinched when he heard those numbers. His sense of dread continued to rise as confusion began to set in as well.

_180? I thought that Death spared her after getting Hersch._

"Uh, thank you," Daniel said.

"Just fill out the visitation form right here and you can go in."

"Right."

Daniel took the pen and began to write on a paper on a clipboard, requesting a minimal amount of information. Name, patient, time… it was all standard. When he was at the time, he looked up towards a clock. The time said 5:56. As Daniel began to write down the time, the red lights of the digital clock flickered. It seemed to morph from 5:56 to 6:66. He flinched as this happened. He stared at the clock with unease. The clerk noticed the expression on his face.

"Hey, buddy, you alright?"

Daniel snapped out of his daze as he stared at the clerk. Daniel was a little out of it, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Uh… yeah. Just tired. Thanks."

Daniel set down the pen and headed down towards the door. He let out a sigh as he pushed the doors and entered the hallway. He examined everything around him. The hallway was filled with doctors and nurses, either conversing or going over notes and such. Daniel raised an eyebrow as he tried to figure out what was going on. He was already getting signs that something would happen. He knew something had to happen to Diane. Another thought entered his mind; it didn't necessarily have to be Diane. It could have been another in her room. He began to wonder… if he would be involved somehow. He shook his head. That was a stupid question. He was always involved. It was a just a matter of how involved. If he was involved in Death's plan… then that would be an involvement he would preferred to avoid. He sighed quietly.

_You're losing it, Danny boy. Just stay calm. Stay calm, cool, and collected. That's the only way anyone gets out of anything._

He counted the room numbers as he walked by. Slowly, the numbers began to ascend in his mind. He was fairly close to the room after about a minute of counting. As he neared the room, a somewhat young female doctor exited Diane's room. She was wearing glasses, which was partially covered by her short brunette hair. She had matching eyes, which seemed to contrast her pale skin. However, her paleness seemed to match the white coat and skirt she wore. As she began to walk by, the two of them made brief eye contact. As they did, something seemed to his Daniel, making hiss hand clench. He suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his hand. He let out a quiet grunt as he retracted his hand, releasing the roses that he held. He stared at it his hand to find various pricks. The thorns had pierced his hands. Blood seeping from his wounds he stared at the blood. His eyes widened with certain fear.

_Oh no… that's not a good sign._

The doctor saw this and gave him a quizzical look. She began to approach him, but he was too preoccupied to notice her. The room number, the clock, and the reflex were all signs. He knew it. He groaned silently as a lump grew in his throat.

"Excuse me?" the doctor asked.

"Yes?" Daniel asked, raising his head.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I am. I just cut myself. I-it's nothing."

The doctor looked down at Daniel's hand as a curious look grew on her face. Her eyes narrowed as she gently held his wrist and pulled his hand up to get a closer look. She looked at Daniel with indifference as she rose her head.

"Let me guess… the roses?"

"What?"

She looked over towards the roses on the ground. Daniel looked down to see the roses that he had dropped. The thorns had pierced through the paper. Daniel chuckled nervously as he looked back at the doctor, nodding.

"Yeah. Don't know what happened. My hand just… well, had a reflex."

"A reflex to what?" she asked.

"I…"

He preferred not to say. If he gave the reason, she probably would have gotten the wrong idea. He tried to think of something to say. However, the truth was on the verge of breaking out.

"I don't know. It just happened. I saw you walk out and then my hand just clenched by itself."

He suddenly fell silent. He could feel himself mentally slapping his forehead as a sense of idiocy began to grow inside. The doctor looked surprise. Daniel thought that he had offended her, but he soon found _himself_ to be the surprised one as a grin grew on the corner of her lips.

"Well then… be more careful next time."

"Yes doctor. Uh… doctor…"

"Craven. Dr. Jeanine Craven."

"Craven… I'll remember that."

He smiled weakly as he nodded towards her. She was still grinning slightly as she let go of his wrist.

"Well, if you want, I can get you a minor disinfectant like some rubbing alcohol, Mr…"

"Raimi. Uh, call me Daniel."

Dr. Craven had a curious look on her face when she heard his name. Daniel narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at her. He didn't really understand why she reacted so oddly to his name.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"You said your name was Daniel. You weren't near that accident earlier, were you?"

Suddenly, Daniel just realized what he had done. His eyes widened with some shock and fear. He found his mouth opening, but only grunts and gasps escaped. Dr. Craven's grin widened, nearly becoming a smile as she chuckled.

"I take that as a yes. You must be one that was with Diane earlier."

He found himself stupefied. He was at a loss for words now and had the shocked look plastered on his face. He groaned quietly as he rubbed his eyes. His head sank as he knew there was no way out of the situation. His reaction made him guilty as charged.

"What did Diane say?"

"Well… she said you saved her life," she responded. "She said if you weren't there, she probably would have been dead."

Daniel's eyes widened with shock as he raised his head to look at Dr. Craven. She had a look like she was toying with him, like she was purposefully trying to worry him. He didn't know what to say. Dr. Craven could only laugh quietly at the situation.

"We actually both saw the news report. She was angry at whoever made the telecast. She thought that they tried to over sensationalize your role a bit."

"Over sensationalize?" he asked in confusion. "Meaning…"

"Meaning that she thought that they tried to put a negative bit on what you did. She was ranting about it for a couple minutes, saying things like 'he's not a loon, he saved me,' or 'these people want to make him a threat for ratings' and such. She obviously really appreciates what you did for her."

Daniel was amazed at what he had just heard. He hears the news report and than hears Diane's spin on things. He didn't think that she would be _that_ appreciative. He thought that maybe she would have shared _some_ ideas with the reports view on the situation. He chuckled quietly with some disbelief and relief. Dr. Craven as she continued to look at him.

"Well then… I'm guessing you're here to pay her a visit?"

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to see how she was doing."

"Well, if you haven't figured it out based on her… well, lively speech, I can tell you she's fine. If you want, you can go in now. I'll bring back something for your hand."

He gave her an initially confused look. He looked down at his hand, suddenly remembering what had happened. He had forgotten all about it. He didn't even realize that his hand was now dripping blood. Dr. Craven noticed this as well and showed some concern. She let out a quiet groan as she looked back up at Daniel. It appeared that he was looking at the hand. However, it wasn't the bloodied hand he was looking at, but rather the bloodied ground. Below him, the blood had formed a small puddle, with a line stretching out from near the top. The line seemed to resemble a finger… a bony one. His eyes narrowed as his eyes followed along the direction it was pointing at: straight towards Dr. Craven. Fear grew inside of him again, but he tried to hide it as best as he could.

"Daniel? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm… going to get you some bandages."

"That sounds good."

"If you go in, there's a sink in there that you can wash your hands with."

"Thanks."

Dr. Craven nodded to him as she walked off in the direction from which Daniel came. He went over things in his head as he watched her walk off. He knew that this wasn't going to be an uneventful visit.

_I know who may die, what the signs are, and where it'll happen. But how does it happen?_

He groaned silently as he shook his head. He looked down at the roses. He knelt down and picked them up with his other hand, holding it at a higher point where the thorns hadn't pierced through. He cleared his throat as he approached the room and knocked on the door, waiting for a reply.

"Who is it?" a voice asked.

"It's Daniel."

"Daniel?!" the voice asked with surprise. "Oh, uh, come in!"

Daniel smiled weakly as he pushed the handle with his forearm and opened the door. He looked over towards Diane who was in a patient's gown, sitting on the bed with a somewhat relieved look. He nodded towards her with a sense of relief.

"Hey. I… got you some get well flowers," he said weakly.

"Oh, thanks," she replied happily.

He walked over towards the table that was next to her and placed the roses on it. He continued to smile weakly as he looked over at her. She looked fairly well despite what had happened. Diane had some minor cuts and bruises (one big one that rather evident around her neck). A sense of guilt grew inside of him. Although she said he saved her, he couldn't help but feel that he was responsible for everything in the first place. He sighed quietly.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Yeah. I'll be able to leave tomorrow. The doctor said it isn't anything to extreme."

"Oh, Dr. Craven?"

"Yes," Diane said, now somewhat curious. "Did you meet her already?"

"Yeah. I had a… small accident. She's getting me some bandages."

He raised his hand, which was still fairly bloody. Diane's eyes widened with some shock. Daniel nodded as he began to walk over towards the sink. He grabbed the faucet and turned it, releasing the rather cold water. He looked around at the faucet. It was underneath some medical supplies: syringes, medications, and such. He raised an eyebrow. He never remembered rooms being like this. They might have been meant for an emergency, but they were easy for a patient to get to. The lock on the glass wouldn't help against someone just breaking it open.

"How did that happen?" Diane finally managed to ask.

"Let's just say no good deed goes unpunished," he said with an odd grin.

_That was evident after the first incident with her and Dr. Hersch._

Daniel sighed quietly as the thought entered his mind. For the longest time, he was sure that he would be the one for starting this mess. He didn't want to believe it, but being the over-critical type, it was a burden he'd live with. He looked up at the sign that was above the faucet. _ALL EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS._ He raised an eyebrow as he shook his head.

_Maybe it should just say all people._

A thought clicked in his head. When he thought about the bloody hand that pointed towards Dr. Craven, a chill went down his spine.

_Every sign is a sign._

"Are you alright, Daniel?" Diane asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just zoning out right now."

He turned off the faucet and grabbed a paper towel to dry off his hands. As he did though, he heard a dripping sound. His eyes narrowed as a sense of curiosity and dread grew inside. He knelt down and looked underneath the faucet/ supply cabinet. He didn't see anything. He looked back up at the faucet. The water wasn't coming from there either. He grunted underneath his breath.

"They need to get a plumber in here or something. Who knows where that water is dripping," Daniel said.

Daniel muttered something else underneath his breath as he walked over to a chair next to Diane. He looked over towards her with a concerned look. He smiled weakly as he looked away again.

"You know… I didn't really thank you for saving me back there. You really did save my life."

Daniel was still looking away from Diane. He was in his own mind for a bit. A sense of discomfort was brewing inside of him. He didn't exactly feel comfortable being called a saver. It made him sound more important than he really was. Because of this feeling of inadequacy, he made him feel lower, knowing that he wasn't that great.

"I was worried a bit after that accident. I didn't think you we're going to make it."

"Yeah well… I guess it wasn't my time," Diane replied.

"That's the thing… it was your time. I was trying to extend it."

Diane gave him an odd look after he said that. His face was dead serious. Even though Diane thought he was just saying this to confuse her, she began to realize that he was being sincere, almost to the point where he being insane.

"I'm… not following."

"Have you ever heard of Flight 180?"

"Yeah, I've _heard_ of it. I don't know everything about it."

"The whole story was that back in 2000, a group of students was about to take a trip to France. One of the students said he had a vision that the plane would explode. He and several others got off. Well, the guy was forced off. After the plane took off… it blew up. After a while, the survivors began to die one by one in freak accidents."

"Maybe… it was a coincidence?" Diane asked.

"They died in the order they would have on the plane."

Diane fell silent. She stared at Daniel in disbelief. He continued to stare at the wall with a deathly serious expression.

"Three years later, a similar thing happened on a highway. Some woman blocked traffic because she thought there would be a huge accident. Soon enough, there was. Some people who would have been hit were saved. They began to die one by one in the order they would have died as well. The only survivor from the 180 incident was killed during that situation. Only two survived because one of the people killed herself and was revived. It ruined death's plans because she created new life and disorganized Death's list. Three years after that, there was an incident with a roller coaster. Need I say anything more about _that_?"

Diane shook her head as she stared at Diane with disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She didn't know if he was joking at first, but seeing the constant expression on his face, she knew he wasn't. After thinking about what he had said, she began to understand that there was some higher power at work. She never really thought about anything like this. She never had any reason to. It was difficult to comprehend some of what Daniel had said, but she wondered if she really was a part of something that all those other people had experienced.

"So… are you saying… you had a vision about my death?"

"No, I didn't. I actually saw Death."

"You… saw him?"

"Yeah. He was following you. I had to find signs that hinted at what would happen."

"Signs?"

"Yeah, anything that gives a hint of death. You may not realize it… but even the smallest sign can end up being the biggest clue."

Diane suddenly began to think he might be on the unstable side.

"Are there… any other… signs?"

"Yeah. Wind. Before you got to your care, the wind picked up rather heavily, didn't it?"

Diane tried to think to herself about the accident. She remembered that the wind became unusually heavy for a brief moment. She nodded towards him.

"So… you're just trying to cheat death as much as possible?"

"We'll cheat people out of a horrid sudden death. That's one thing. Dying in one's prime feels too much like a crime. I'd like to think I can choose not leave my destiny in the hands of fate."

When he said that, something clicked in Daniel's mind. Hands of fate. All the signs were hands. His hands punctured by the thorns, a hand pointed at Dr. Craven, the _wash hands_ sign. He suddenly realized he had just made a mistake by washing his. He looked over at the sink. He noticed that there was a metal line that ran behind the sink and cabinet. Daniel's eyes widened in fear as he realized where the dripping was coming from. It wasn't from a leaky pipe behind the wall. A sizzling sound could be heard as the shadowed form of Death appeared. His hand disappeared behind the wall, reaching for something. He knew what it was.. He looked over at Diane.

"Get behind the bed!"

Diane had a confused look, but she soon understood what was going on. Daniel was quick to go to the other side and grab Diane by the arm to help her get behind it in a hurry. He was quick to put his hands under the mattress and lift it up, flipping it onto its side to make a makeshift shield. The frame supported the mattress in keeping it up.

"Daniel?" a voice called out. "Are you alright?"

Daniel looked over towards the door and saw Dr. Craven beginning to enter. He swore under his breath. Without thinking, he got to his feet and ran towards her.

"Get down!"

Everything seemed to slow down. His eyes moved at lightening fast speed, looking at everything. However, his body, the environment, as well as Diane and Dr. Craven were barely moving at all. Soon, a small boom could be heard as he looked to his side. Near the top of the wall, a small fire burst out from the wall behind the cabinet. The glass shattered and the syringes were flying out. The class and needles flew off in various directions in the room, but a majority of them seemed to have a specific target: Dr. Craven. Death flew towards her, stretching out his bony hand to claim her. She herself seemed nearly oblivious until that minor explosion. He head slowly turned towards the direction from which it came. Diane was screaming out to them, her scream echoing.

Daniel could feel a growl trying to escape his throat as he tried to move faster. He had to reach her. He had to save her. He soon dived forward, stretching his arms out. Everything began to speed up again. He could feel his hands on her shoulder as he pushed her forward. It was then that he and Dr. Craven went tumbling to the ground. He could feel shards of glass cutting him as they flew by, slicing at his skin as he landed on top of her. The pain was as sharp as the glass, but he ignored it. He didn't care about the pain.

His eyes were closed tight as the sounds of chaos were replaced by sounds of people. He could hear various screams and shouts of confusion and concern. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up towards Dr. Craven. He didn't know if he had saved her. Dr. Craven let out a disoriented moan as he looked up at her. His eyes widened with some surprise as he lost the ability to breathe. She was fine, save for some cuts. He began to let out a relieved chuckled. Dr. Craven raised her head to look at Daniel.

"What is it with you and saving people today?"

"I don't know, but it's something good. You alright?"

"I don't know," she said with some disorientation.

"Daniel?" Diane called out as she began to hurry towards them. "Are you-"

"We're fine. We're fine."

"Oh my God, Eric!" someone shouted.

Daniel raised his head to look up and see what happened. His eyes widened in horror as he looked up to see that Death had claimed another victim in her place. An impaled person was seemingly stuck to the wall. His body was riddled with glass and syringes, many of them in his chest and face. A rather large piece of glass impaled his right eye, while a syringe had sank into his left. As Daniel got off of Dr. Craven, she turned onto her side and tried to get up. She stared at Eric's body in horror. She covered her mouth as tears began to swell up in her eyes. Diane was just as shocked. She looked rather sickly at the sight. After looking at the body, Daniel recognized the figure. It was the person at the front desk he saw earlier. Daniel shook his head in disbelief.

"Shit… not again!" he said to himself. "What in the hell is going?!"

Death's figure appeared again. His hand reached into the body of Eric and pulled out a spectral object. Daniel was paralyzed now in fear.

"Stop interfering with my work," a whisper said. "You may not like the new list."

Soon, it disappeared. Dr. Craven couldn't believe that she just escaped death only to see another die in front of her, a friend of hers such as Eric. She couldn't hold back her tears. Her eyes were watering up as she looked away. As a doctor, she had seen death plenty of times, but this was a different situation. Someone she knew who was so young… it wasn't something she could initially comprehend or even want to. Daniel could see the pain she was experiencing. He was against it at first, but he didn't know what to do. He put his arms around, trying to give her some sort of comfort.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"No, no, no!" she said underneath a whimpering voice. "That's not right! That's not right!"

"I know it isn't. I'm sorry."

He felt a pain inside of him. By trying to save her, he killed someone else again. He felt he was completely at fault for this. What was going on? This never happened before. He didn't think this was possible. He looked over towards Diane, who stared at him in disbelief. His eyes looked oddly cold. His lip began to twitch. He didn't say anything, but Diane could hear words in her mind.

_Now do you truly believe me?_


End file.
